Abrasive tools utilizing rectangular in section nylon monofilaments with abrasive grains embedded homogeneously therein throughout, have been employed to make abrasive finishing tools. Examples of such tools may be seen in the prior applications for U.S. Letters Patent of Alfred F. Scheider et al, Ser. Nos. 216,710 and 409,680 entitled "Rotary Abrasive Tool and Filament Therefor" and "Abrasive Finishing Tool", respectively, filed Jul. 8, 1988 and Sep. 20, 1989, respectively, and the prior applications of R. Brown Warner et al entitled "Flexible Abrasive Grinding Tool", filed Jul. 8, 1988, and "Adhesive Bonded Flexible Abrasive Finishing Tool", Ser. No. 228,438, filed Aug. 5, 1988. Such tools have proven to be very effective in the abrasive finishing of a wide variety of workpieces such as those made of exotic alloys and composites.
End brushes or finishing tools are often manufactured utilizing rings, sleeves, pins or keys as anchors to secure the filament bundle in the cup of the shank with the filament bundle being folded as a hairpin in the cup. This results in a non-uniform distribution and density of the filaments and also normally requires secondary operations such as trimming of the brush face and crimping or swaging of the lip of the cup. Such internal anchors can in and of themselves affect the dynamic balance of the tool quite apart from causing non-uniform distribution of the filaments. Examples of end brushes or tools using mechanical anchors or keys may be seen in prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,982,983; 3,312,993; and 2,421,647.
As illustrated in prior application Ser. No. 228,438, bundles of discrete monofilaments may be bonded to the bottom interior surface of a cup element to form end brush type tools. The manufacture of such tools from discrete monofilaments may be difficult and expensive. Such bundles are difficult to handle and form, particularly if a precise tool size and form is desired. Moreover, for some workpieces an even more aggressive tool is desirable.